I think someone stole my hay....

[Rhune]

Hey guys.

I have a 23 acre hay field that I have been reconditioning over the past couple of years (made some posts about it on this forum). This was the first year it has been hayed. I am new to the cattle/hay business. I don't own any haying equipment, so I put an add on craigslist looking for someone to cut/buy the hay. I found someone who would cut it all, buy half and take the other half as payment. Seemed like a good couple with nice kids... and they raised horses. I figured horse people cant be bad.

We agreed on a price, shook hands. Nothing in writing.

They hayed the field and left. No payment. No contact. Just disappeared. They didn't return my calls for a month (approximately four-five calls).

I finally found their horse business phone number and called it from a different line. The wife answered, and she was upset (rhymes with missed). She said I had been harassing them. She said some of the hay got wet and they had to burn it and they didn't want to pay for wet hay. I told her to have her husband call me and we could talk about it. That was a week ago.

Not sure what I should do. Call the Sheriff? File something in small claims court? Walk away?

Any advice would be helpful.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Anonymous]

Lesson learned. Get it in writing. If it got wet it's their problem not yours. But no paper=no enforcement. You just got took

 

[Rhune]

I think verbal agreements are legally binding. A simple google will prove it.

 

[Anonymous]

Verbal agreements can be legally binding in certain jurisdictions. But they are often hard to prove

 

[Anonymous]

You can go the small claims route. It's not hard to get a judgement. Collecting on that judgement is another story. I've gotten several judgements against customers but never gotten paid on any of them

 

[dun]

Verbal agreements can be legally binding in certain jurisdictions. But they are often hard to prove

Unless there was an uninterested party that witnessed it you run into "he said-he said"
You thought you were dealing with the horses head and it turns out it was the other end

 

[slick4591]

I don't know what state you're in, but a call to the sheriff is free. They can probably help or send you in the right direction.

 

[cross_7]

how big an ole boy is he ?
i'd tell i'm going a put foot in a$$ unless i get paid and if they want to call the law that'd be fine too.

 

[Rhune]

Just writing thread got my blood boiling. Put a call into the Sheriff's office.

 

[Anonymous]

"It's a civil matter"
That's exactly what you're fixing to hear

 

[cow pollinater]

I think I'd be inclined to go load up about half my hay. If they won't even answer calls they sure as H@#$ know they're in the wrong and aren't going to fight to hard.

 

[slick4591]

It would be civil in Texas, but I don't know where he's located. Maybe some states still have some old statutes laying around.

 

[Caustic Burno]

how big an ole boy is he ?
i'd tell i'm going a put foot in a$$ unless i get paid and if they want to call the law that'd be fine too.

I won't say what I would do on this board, buy you can bet I wouldn't be the only one with a burned ass.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

I am with Cross_7. Good old fashioned head thumping.

 

[W-5]

I have dealt with horse people before, and they are usually the biggest cheats.

 

[Anonymous]

If I tried half the shyt you guys propose he should do I would be in jail. Must not be much law in Texas or Arkansas

 

[Ouachita]

I'm with CB on this one. I won't say what I would do. If I ever have intentions of dealing with a low life like this, I don't want any traceable internet traffic.
Did you know you can find out alot about people on the internet. I guess I knew, but my daughter just had a 4-H thing where she got to "shadow" a public employee (where the kids get to go to work for a couple hours with a public employee). My daughter got to "shadow" our local county assessor. She came home with a business card that had a website address on it, and told me you can "look at peoples houses on the internet". I was disgusted to enter my name and see a picture of my home.
If you don't know where the man lives, you can find out easy enough :cowboy: . And you can see if he has enough wealth to pay for the hay. You might recommend he take out a second mortgage. I hear the food stamp pusher-in-chief makes that pretty easy.

 

[Ouachita]

If I tried half the shyt you guys propose he should do I would be in jail. Must not be much law in Texas or Arkansas

My place, my rules :cowboy:

 

[Anonymous]

I'm just saying that there are much more devious, more satisfying, and equally effective ways to get what's his. Kicking some ass is not something I get into anymore since I grew up. But it sure is fun to make deadbeats spend more money than what they owed trying to fix things or defend themselves in court.
I had one guy that ended up having a heart attack as I told him that the states atty and FBI wanted to hear what I had to say. He was out on parole for insurance fraud I found out via the Internet. They wanted my statement since it also constitued fraud. Too bad he didn't survive that.
Then there was the 6'6" 340lb guy I called a friend that screwed me out of 4800 bucks. I got paid on that one but I won't say how.

 

[cow pollinater]

Your half of the hay is yours until you get paid. Go over there with a truck and start loading. If they want to argue ask them to show you where the wet hay got burned... If they can't then finish loading your half and drive away.